


Pirates and Penance

by NeroDragonfucker



Category: Borderlands
Genre: AU, Borderlands 2, F/F, Nisha Kadam - Freeform, Nisha lives au, borderlands - Freeform, borderlands the pre sequel, captain scarlett - Freeform, nisha the lawbringer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:02:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5839087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeroDragonfucker/pseuds/NeroDragonfucker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Sheriff of Lynchwood is dead. There is no doubt about that; but Nisha Kadam lives. After being given a second chance, she chooses to abandon trying to bring law to Pandora, and instead teams up with one of her old flames to find great riches, and come to terms with the fact that even Jack kept secrets from her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pirates and Penance

#### Approximately 8 months before the trip to Elpis

Nisha had lived in the Badlands of Pandora her whole life. The burning hot sands were her environment, her home. Pandora was a planet of extremes. One area could be hotter than hell, the next could be colder than Aurelia Hammerlock's soul. It was a cruel mistress, even on its most tolerable days, and Nisha knew all about cruelty. Every day was a bloody, brutal war against the forces of nature, brutal bandits, and your own moral compass. If you had one to begin with. Nisha Kadam had one, but it was very skewed. Ever since setting out with the goal of bringing order to the wastelands of Pandora, she had loved conflict. The daily war kept a fire burning in her soul and gave her a true purpose. She didn't mind too much if she got her ass kicked a few times either. Pain was just a part of living on Pandora. She reminded herself of that as the blast from the sand pirate's shotgun crashed against her shield, shattering it and sending her careening into a rocky outcropping. 

"Fuckin' bounty hunters, thinkin' they can take us down. We're the best crew in Oasis!" Nisha wiped the blood from her mouth, getting to her knees as she drew her beloved Jakobs hand cannon Law, the ultra-sharp bayonet glinting in the harsh desert sunlight. "What makes you think you'll fair any better, eh?"

"You seem to be mistaken. This isn't a business trip," she cracked her whip "This was entirely for pleasure!" her whip slithered around the sand pirate's leg, yanking him close enough to bury her bayonet in his gut. He made a delightful gurgle as the blade sliced his stomach into tatters. Nisha then emptied her gun into his abdomen, the sand around her splattered with beautiful, glinting crimson. She shoved the now dead sand pirate off the gun with her foot, reloading with one hand, taking a deep breath, the air tainted with the scent of blood and gunpowder. Her two favorite things. The other sand pirates now looked more than a bit worried. "Well? Which one of you rapscallions is up next?" There was a long moment of hesitation. Far too long for Nisha. She decided to take some more initiative.

She used her whip to close the gap on one of the pirates, pulling him closer while she twisted through the air. His cry of confusion got cut off by a blade being buried in his throat. She tossed him aside just as one of the other pirates shook himself out of his cowardice and came charging forward. Bad move. Every single one of his sloppy shots missed, so he took out his cutlass and sprinted towards the Lawbringer with a half-hearted war cry. She took out his kneecaps first, making his cry change its tune. She left him there to deal with his three remaining buddies. One guy got it easy, a bullet between the eyes, tearing right through his shitty shield. She whipped the weapon out of another pirate's hands, shots ringing out, wearing out his shield quickly, then sending his body twitching onto the sand with a few extra holes. The last one standing was a bit tougher, his cutlass managing to slice through Nisha's arm with a sneaky strike. Nisha reached behind her, grabbing the Torgue shotgun she always kept around as a backup and pointing it directly in his ugly face. Thankfully she didn't have to look at it anymore after she pulled the trigger. Most of the pirate's lower body wobbled there for a moment before flopping down onto the sand as well. The gore hadn't stopped raining before Nisha turned her sights on the last remaining pirate, the one she'd kneecapped and left on the sand. He scooted himself back, babbling, begging for his life. She walked forward slowly, spinning the barrel of her gun. She spun it around her finger and pointed it dead at his face.

None of the combatants noticed the sand beginning to vibrate during their fight. Something was drawn to all the noise and chaos. Something that made it's home on the sandy flats of Oasis. Nisha didn't know what was coming, but the poor sand pirate sure did, right before a sand worm queen erupted out of the ground, swallowing him whole. Nisha backed up, staring at the huge, pale, disgusting creature wiggling before her, smaller Sand Worms popping up all around. She was suddenly missing Stalkers and Skaggs.

"Oi! Need some help down there?" an unfamiliar voice rang out from high above. Nisha looked up, shielding her eyes from the harsh sunlight. The voice had a lovely, playful tone to it, but had an edge to it. The voice's owner stood on a rock outcropping. "You're a pretty damn impressive shot, and cute to boot, so it just wouldn't do to let you get eaten by a bunch of sand grubs." They jumped and somehow blinked down to the ground. Teleportation? That's a new one.

The sand grubs reacted with hesitation to the newcomer, who walked up to Nisha, shiny black revolver drawn, sitting in her hand. The one that wasn't a hook, glinting in the sunlight. Her piercings flashed with each step of her mismatched legs, a metal prosthetic stained with sand alongside an unscathed limb clad in a leather boot. The bright, electronic eye patch covering one eye shone bright under the shade of her hat. Nisha had never met someone who looked as much like a pirate than the woman standing before her. "Well then, let's get down to it!" She made three sand grubs explode with a quick sweep of her hand, and the fight was on.

30 minutes and 5 sand worm queens later, the two women sat under the desert sun, panting, covered in green worm goop. The pirate made a disgusted noise, looking down at her white top, now stained with green. "This'll take forever to wash out."

"Eh, I've had to wash worse off my jeans." The Lawbringer holstered her weapon, standing up and holding out a hand to the other woman. She looked at it like a bit of a joke before taking it with the dull edge of her hook, still holding her weapon.

"So quick to warm up to me? I mean...do I not dress obvious enough? Do I need to start wearing a shirt that says 'PIRATE QUEEN' too?" Nisha chuckled.

"You and I killed a whole bunch of fucked up monsters. In my experience that's a good trust building exercise, pirate or not." 

"Well, you're not wrong there. The name's Scarlett. Captain Scarlett." The pirate queen holstered her weapon and held her hand out for a shake. Nisha clasped it.

"Nisha. Ms. Kadam if you're nasty." Scarlett made a low sound in her throat.

"Well, Ms. Kadam, if you aren't here for a bounty on me and my crew...would you like to see my ship?"

Over the next 6 months, Nisha became very familiar with Scarlett and her crew. Though she was a bandit hunter, it seemed that most of the conflict in Oasis stemmed from Sand Pirate crews over some sort of lost treasure, she didn't quite remember all of it. She spent a long time travelling the sands of Oasis with the crew, fighting pirates, sand worms, and her own stomach after one too many mugs of grog. She was never officially a part of the crew, but she stayed as a sort of mercenary. She got a cut of any profits and her pick of guns. She also learned more about Scarlett. How she climbed up the pirate ladder by backstabbing and manipulation, her own betrayal by former comrade Sandman, and the story of Captain Blade, the greatest pirate who ever lived. Nisha found Scarlett fascinating, the most interesting individual she'd ever met on this backwater planet. And despite being a self professed backstabber, she began to trust her.

One day, Nisha nearly died during a fight. Sand worms had ambushed them while they were investigating a lead on the treasure. She'd made a dumb mistake and stumbled right into the grasp of a sand worm queen. It's pincers were inches from her skull when Scarlett ran over, shoving a hook down its throat and blowing a few holes in it. She yanked Nisha away, squishing a grub.

"Good lord, girl, did you get struck with a sudden blight of blindness?" The worry etched into Scarlett's face was...unfamiliar. This was the woman who tossed crewmembers off the boat for dissenting opinions, who watched them get gobbled up by sand worms with glee. She didn't seem one for being attached to her crew.

"Why, I didn't know you cared, Captain." Nisha grinned, giving the empress a wink. Scarlett responded with a knowing grin.

"It would just be a shame to lose my best gun. And my best arse." Nisha felt a hook poke her playfully in the rear. "Besides mine, of course." 

"This can wait, for now we need to stop Tommy from getting his other leg eaten." She pulled out her revolver and went back to work.

Nisha became very familiar with Scarlett's quirks and mannerisms; her playful smile whenever she was about to shoot a mutineer. The way she played with her hook when she was thinking deeply. How she liked to drag her hook lightly down Nisha's back when they were together, and how her piercings felt against Nisha's bare skin. The way her back arched, the way she played with Nisha's hair. The way she bit, whispering into her ear. How she laughed when Nisha said something she liked, a sound like bullet casings jingling in a burlap sack. The way she looked at Nisha, without a hint of ambition or planning. Nisha had never been one for those stupid, squishy feelings. She always thought it was a needless distraction. She liked her relationships rough and tumultuous, much like she was. But with Scarlett...her Pirate Queen, for the first time she was beginning to see the appeal. But it couldn't last. She couldn't stay in Oasis forever.

One night the pair were in Scarlett's chambers, a sandstorm raging outside, bare under the sheets other than their hats. The hats always stayed on. Nisha looked at her Pirate Queen, leaning against her shoulder, eye half closed. She didn't want it to end, but it had to. She didn't know what to say, so she just went with the route she was most familiar with; uncompromising bluntness.

"I'm uh...I'm heading home next week." For a while, the only sound was sand battering against the window. Scarlett's hand left Nisha's thigh as she got up, looking down at the Lawbringer.

"Did I...say something? Do something wrong?" Nisha shook her head hurriedly. 

"No no, you were great. This was great. But...I've got other stuff I need to do. I can't live the life of a pirate forever. I'm not done yet." She got up as well, pulling on her clothing. Scarlett put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Please...I...for the first time I felt safe trusting someone. Don't do this Nisha. You've been having so much fun." Nisha sighed. God dammit this was never hard before. She just pulled her pants back on, said 'thanks' and left. Why'd she have to get attached.

"Scarlett, I have to go. Please just make it easy on me." The pirate empress looked at her. She looked, ironically enough, betrayed. Anger began to flare up in her face. 

"No, I'm not. You need to explain to me WHY." Nisha was kicking herself in the foot for not just leaving in the dead of night. Would have been much easier, but noooo she had to say something.

"I got a job offer, alright?! From the guys building that huge H in the sky!" Scarlett huffed, walking back to her bed.

"Thought you didn't like corporations, Nisha." 

"It's a free trip to the moon, a shitload of guns and money, and the promise of a Vault." Nisha pulled her jacket on, going to the door. Scarlett was looking out the window. "...I'm sorry." 

"Whatever. It was fun while it lasted, right?" The bitterness in her voice hurt Nisha.

"...yeah. See ya, Scarlett." She walked out the door, and the rest was history. Even after falling for Jack, killing a gigantic three faced Eridian monster, and becoming Sheriff of Lynchwood, she never forgot Scarlett. Sometimes she sat in bed in the middle of the night, thinking about her laugh, the gleam of her hook in the harsh desert light, the way her eyepatch flipped out whenever she got flustered. She loved Jack, of course. And she was sure that she loved her, but she never forgot the injustice she did to her pirate queen.

Eventually, Lynchwood fell under siege from a group of Vault Hunters. To be perfectly honest, she was rather happy about that. Lynchwood had gotten pretty damn boring as of late. Everyone was too scared of her to try anything. She wanted to see where this went. Unfortunately, her overconfidence in herself and in Jack led to her downfall. After the Hunters stirred up enough trouble, she challenged them to a duel to finish this once and for all. That was a big mistake. 

It went fine at first; the cybernetic gauntlet encasing her arm helping every shot hit true, absorbing the recoil of the colossal revolver she used in battle. The hunters were forced into cover as she and her deputies rained fire down on them. Every so often, a bullet would graze her shoulder, or buzz her shield, but that only added to the exhilaration of the fight. What good what a gunfight where you didn't get a little bit roughed up? That was just boring.

She felt something slam into her stomach, punching right through her shield. She glanced down at the bright crimson stain spreading across her white dress shirt. The weird, faceless assassin had activated their decoy and gotten into a sniping position. She took a few shots in their direction, but they were already gone. She saw a grenade drop onto the roof she was perched on just in time to roll away, but the blast still tossed her through a crate. She struggled to get up, reloading her gun. She wouldn't be going down like this, like some two bit punk-ass bandit. She was the Sheriff, god damn it! She was going to fight until the very end. She stood up, took aim and was about to spit a one liner out through her bloody teeth when the Commando's rocket hit her square in the chest.

If her shield hadn't started recharging, it would have made her a grease stain on the already excessively greasy roof, and it still broke every bone in her body and sent her careening off the rooftop. That wouldn't be so bad if she hadn't chosen a town built on a giant mesa to be sheriff of. She faintly heard the wind whistling against her shattered eardrums as she plummeted towards the unforgiving sand. She never really believed that people's lives flashed before their eyes when they were about to die, she thought that was just some old wive's tale. And to be fair, her ENTIRE life didn't flash before her eyes; just the important stuff. Her dog. Killing her mom. Those first few bandit kings that had given her so much trouble. Scarlett. Jack. Elpis. Lynchwood. CRUNCH. 

Unfortunately, she was still conscious. So she could feel everything. Her entire body felt like it had been sent through a wood chipper, and then the wood chipper had been given to a thresher to play with. Her vision was blurry, fuzzy darkness closing in. She heard something over her ECHO, somehow still working. Jack's voice.

"Wow, you killed my girlfriend. Huh. That makes me kinda mad." 

Kinda mad. That's it. That's all she was worth.

Asshole.

She looked up and saw a figure standing there. She assumed it was the grim reaper. It was tall, and thin, and spindly, and had weird jet things on its back. Wait, did the grim reaper have those? Blood had begun flooding her brain, she couldn't think straight. The figure bent down and put a hand on her face.

"Do not worry. You will be spared. You have a greater purpose, Nisha Kadam." Something about it sounded familiar...she couldn't...remember. She wanted to sleep...just sleep. Her eyes drifted shut and she was floating. 

She woke up. That was weird. She was pretty sure she was supposed to be dead. And there wasn't fire and brimstone around her, so she wasn't in hell. Unless hell looked like a sand cruiser. A...strangely familiar sand cruiser.

"Cap'n! She's wakin up!" a voice above her. A bright light shining in her eyes. Sand pirates. She recognized their rough accents and dirty garments. How'd she end up in the hands of sand pirates?

"alright, thank you Hacksaw. You can go." A playful voice that hid cunning machinations. A voice that had spoken to her in her dreams often. She always remembered the last words that voice had said to her. 'Whatever. It was fun while it lasted, right?'. Captain Scarlett's pretty face swam into her field of view, a few more scars than she remembered. That settles it, Nisha thought. I'm fucking dead. Scarlett looked down at her. Nisha looked up at Scarlett. They were silent for a while before Nisha opened her mouth.

"...I'm sorry." she croaked out, all those years of regrets and 'what-ifs' leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Or attempting to. She was a little bit dehydrated. So she was left to quietly sob as Scarlett's face softened.

"Hey, don't be like that, cowgirl." Scarlett's hand went to Nisha's gripping it. Well, the one that was left anyway. With a jolt, she realized her other arm was missing. The one she wore the stabilizing gauntlet on. In it's place was a spindly, temporary prosthetic made out of junk. Nisha drew in a rattling breath. 

"Tell me everything, Scarlett. What happened."

Jack was dead. Killed by the same Vault Hunters that had blown her off the roof. She remembered what she'd heard over the ECHO. She felt anger rise up in her throat. She thought they had something. She thought Jack had it in him to love her as she loved him. Disingenuous jackass. Apparently, Hyperion was in chaos; the Crimson Raiders were living up to their name and hitting Hyperion sites hard, taking Eridium, weapons, and intel, whatever they could get their hands on. Nisha asked Scarlett how she ended up here in the first place.

"Well, that's weird, innit? We were just sailing along when one of the lookouts spotted something out on the sand. A weird looking guy in a cloak carrying someone who looked in real bad shape. So I went down there to see what was up and...it was you. Covered in blood, all twisted and mangled. The person gave you to me and told me 'Your most important treasure has returned. She will be important for the coming war.' And then it was gone. So we sent you to intensive. My doctors worked tirelessly for 3 days before we stabilized you. We couldn't save your arm, though. It had fused with that gauntlet you were wearing. We had to uh...get rid of it."

Nisha looked at the space where her arm ought to be before looking back up, a grin spreading across her face. "So, I'm your greatest treasure, huh, Scarlett?" The Pirate Queen sighed. "Listen...I know I was dumb and we didn't part on the best of terms but...do you think there's a space for me on your crew?" 

Scarlett tapped her foot before going to the intercom. "Could someone throw Benny overboard?" In a few moments Nisha saw someone go screaming past the porthole. "There is now. Welcome aboard, First Mate Kadam." She leaned down to kiss Nisha. She'd nearly forgotten how the pirate tasted. Like sand, alcohol, and limes. Lots of limes. The pair stayed like that for a long while.

#####  A few weeks later 

Nisha looked at her new arm. Not a hook, like her girlfriend's, but a real working hand that they'd gotten from an abandoned Hyperion site out in the sands. Nisha smiled. It still felt so good to call Scarlett her girlfriend. Most of her outfit had been ruined in the fall, but she still had her coat, with lots of patches, and her hat. She stared out at the rolling dunes, rubbing her new cybernetic hand. She'd learned a lot about Jack since waking up. The most damning fact was that he'd kept his Siren daughter as a slave for her entire life. Nisha was no saint. She was a scoundrel, a murderer, a pirate, and she sometimes threw her trash on the ground instead of the designated receptacle, but she hated slavery. She'd watched the new leader of the Crimson Raiders, that woman Lilith, explain it, showing footage. Nisha had Scarlett shoot the TV. Her robotic fist clenched, remembering how easily Jack had left her for dead, without even swearing revenge. She was done with Hyperion. Done with Jack. Done with it all. She wanted to feel the wind in her hair again, to be truly free. 

"Hand workin' out for ya, love?" Nisha felt a playful slap on her ass and turned as Scarlett stood next to her.

"Yeah, working great. Watch this." She drew her gun, twirled it around all fancy-like, and shot a rakk out of the air without looking. Scarlett gave a clap. 

"Glad to see you've still got it." She looked out at the endless sand, the moon high in the sky. After a few moments of silence she took Nisha's hand, the non metal one. They stayed like that for a long while.

"Well, Captain, where to next?" Nisha turned to her girlfriend and captain, metal hand gripping her hook. Scarlett grinned.

"Well, I lost the treasure of Captain Blade. My pet Rakk Hive is dead, and most of my crew deserted me...so lets just go where the wind takes us. See what else this place has to offer." Nisha's hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Aye-aye, Captain." She giggled, and they kissed under the moonlight, and Nisha felt Scarlett's piercings against her bare skin for the first time in far too long. The world was theirs. All they had to do was take it.

**Author's Note:**

> Hoo boy this took a long time, but i wanted to write something for my favorite crackship. Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me. And for those who follow my Gaige / Angel fic don't worry, that's next up on my to-do list.


End file.
